WO2019135612A1 - Wireless charger and wireless charging method - Google Patents

Abstract

A wireless charger according to an embodiment comprises: a transmission coil for generating magnetic flux by receiving an alternating current; an inverter for generating the alternating current by receiving a direct current; a direct current-direct current converter for supplying the direct current to the inverter; and a controller for generating a ping signal through the transmission coil by controlling operations of the direct current-direct current converter and the inverter, wherein the controller can be configured to periodically generate a first ping signal, maintain the direct current supply for a first stabilizing section from the first ping signal generation, block the direct current for a predetermined time after the first stabilization section, supply the current after the predetermined time, and generate a second ping signal after a second stabilization section from the predetermined time.

Description

Wireless charger and wireless charging method

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a wireless power transmission technology, and more particularly, to a wireless charger and a wireless charging method that improve battery life by blocking unnecessary current consumption.

Portable terminals, such as mobile phones and laptops, include a battery for storing power and a circuit for charging and discharging the battery. In order for the battery of such a terminal to be charged, power must be supplied from an external charger.

2. Description of the Related Art [0002] Generally, as an example of an electrical connection between a charging device and a battery for charging electric power of a battery, a commercial electric power is supplied to a terminal for converting electric power into voltage and current corresponding to the battery, Supply method. This type of terminal supply is accompanied by the use of physical cables or wires. Therefore, when handling a lot of terminal-supplied equipment, many cables occupy considerable work space, are difficult to organize, and are not well apparent. Also, the terminal supply method may cause problems such as an instantaneous discharge phenomenon due to different potential difference between terminals, a burnout due to foreign substances, a fire, a natural discharge, a battery life and performance degradation.

In order to solve such a problem, a charging system (hereinafter referred to as a "wireless charging system") and a control method using a method of transmitting power wirelessly are proposed. In addition, since the wireless charging system has not been installed in some portable terminals in the past and the consumer has to purchase a separate wireless charging receiver accessory, the demand for the wireless charging system is low, but the wireless charging user is rapidly increasing, Function is installed as a base.

Generally, a wireless charging system comprises a wireless power transmitter for supplying electric energy in a wireless power transmission mode and a wireless power receiver for receiving electric energy supplied from a wireless power transmitter to charge the battery.

Such a wireless charging system may transmit power by at least one wireless power transmission scheme (e.g., electromagnetic induction scheme, electromagnetic resonance scheme, RF wireless power transmission scheme, etc.).

For example, the wireless power transmission scheme may be based on a variety of wireless power transmission standards based on an electromagnetic induction scheme in which a magnetic field is generated in a power transmitter coil and charged using an electromagnetic induction principle in which electricity is induced in a receiver coil under the influence of its magnetic field . Here, the electromagnetic induction type wireless power transmission standard may include an electromagnetic induction wireless charging technique defined by a Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and an Air Fuel Alliance (formerly PMA, Power Matters Alliance).

In another example, the wireless power transmission scheme may employ an electromagnetic resonance scheme in which the magnetic field generated by the transmission coil of the wireless power transmitter is tuned to a specific resonance frequency to transmit power to a nearby wireless power receiver . Here, the electromagnetic resonance method may include a resonance type wireless charging technique defined in the Air Fuel Alliance (formerly A4WP, Alliance for Wireless Power) standards organization, a wireless charging technology standard organization.

In another example, a wireless power transmission scheme may use an RF wireless power transmission scheme that transmits power to a wireless power receiver located at a remote location by applying low-power energy to the RF signal.

On the other hand, the above-described wireless charging technique is used to charge the mobile terminal during driving. Particularly, in the case of electric vehicles, all operations are dependent on the battery, so the battery must be used in a very limited manner in comparison to the diesel / gasoline cars for wireless charging.

The conventional wireless charging device periodically transmits an analogue fingering signal for detecting that an object is placed on a transmitter. At this time, if the transmitter detects an object, it transmits a digital ping to identify it as a wireless power receiver. When it is determined that the wireless power receiver is receiving power, the power is transmitted to the wireless power receiver for charging.

However, since the rail current is continuously supplied while the analog fingering signal is periodically generated, the constant current is consumed in the transmitter circuit even during the period in which the fingering signal is not generated, thereby reducing the life of the battery.

In addition, recently, as the technology has evolved with high-speed charging and power consumption has increased compared with the conventional technology, it is more necessary to efficiently use the battery of the vehicle without discharging the vehicle battery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless charger and a wireless charging method for efficiently using a battery of an electric vehicle.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wireless charger and a wireless charging method for reducing unnecessary power consumption to improve battery life.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless charger including: a transmission coil that receives an alternating current and generates a magnetic flux; an inverter that receives the direct current and generates the alternating current; And a controller for controlling the operation of the DC-DC converter and the inverter to generate a ping signal through the transmission coil, wherein the controller periodically generates a first ping signal, Wherein the DC supply is maintained during a first stabilization period after the generation of the first finger signal, the DC is interrupted for a predetermined time after the first stabilization period, the current is supplied after the predetermined period of time, 2 < / RTI > stabilization period.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless charging method, including: periodically generating an analogue fingering signal for sensing an object; generating a digital fingering signal when the object is sensed; Wherein the step of interrupting the rail voltage between the analog finger signals comprises the steps of interrupting the rail voltage after a first stabilization period when the analog finger signal is off, And turning on the analog ping signal after the second stabilization period.

The first stabilization period may be longer than the second stabilization period. The first stabilization period includes a time for sensing the object after the analog ping signal is turned off and the second stabilization period includes a time for raising the control voltage of the rail voltage and a voltage at which the rail voltage is able to generate the ping signal . ≪ / RTI > The step of breaking the rail voltage between the analogue zip signals may be operated at a period of two or more cycles of the analogue zip signals.

Blocking the rail voltage between the analogue zip signals may include 300ms to 350m. The first stabilization period may include 30 ms to 32 ms, and the second stabilization period may include 5 ms to 7 ms.

And blocking the rail voltage between the digital signal and the analog signal. The time for interrupting the rail voltage between the digital and analog signals may be less than the time for interrupting the rail voltage between the analogue signals.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless charging method including periodically generating an analogue signal for sensing an object, generating a digital signal when the object is sensed, Interrupting a rail voltage between the digital and analog signals comprises interrupting a rail voltage after a first stabilization period when the digital signal is off; And a step of turning on the analog ping signal after the second stabilization period.

The first stabilization period may be shorter than the second stabilization period. The first stabilization period may include a control time of the rail voltage, and the second stabilization time may include a control time of the rail voltage and a time at which the rail voltage is raised to a voltage capable of generating a finger signal.

And interrupting the rail voltage between the analogue zip signals.

Effects of the wireless charger and the wireless charging method according to the embodiment will be described as follows.

The embodiment has the effect of reducing the consumption current in the transmitter by blocking the rail voltage between the analogue zip signals.

Also, in the embodiment, the rail voltage is cut off every two or more cycles of the analog fingering signal, thereby reducing the consumed current and preventing the error due to the control operation and the control operation.

Also, the embodiment has the effect of effectively reducing the consuming current in the transmitter by interrupting the rail voltage between the digital and analog ping signals.

The effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description will be.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the technical features of the present invention are not limited to the specific drawings, and the features disclosed in the drawings may be combined with each other to constitute a new embodiment.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless charging system according to an embodiment.

2 is a state transition diagram for explaining a wireless power transmission procedure.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a wireless power transmitter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a wireless power receiver interworking with the wireless power transmitter according to FIG.

5 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless charging method according to the first embodiment.

6 is a graph showing voltage and current waveforms generated during the operation of the analog and digital signals.

7 is a graph showing a partial area of FIG.

8 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a wireless power transmitter according to the first embodiment.

9 is a graph showing current and current waveforms according to the wireless charging method according to the second embodiment.

10 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless charging method according to the third embodiment.

11 is a graph showing voltage and current waveforms generated during operation of the analog and digital signals.

12 is a graph showing a partial area of FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an apparatus and various methods to which the embodiments are applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The present invention is not necessarily limited to the above embodiments, as long as all of the constituent elements of the embodiment are described as being combined or combined in one operation. That is, within the scope of the object of the embodiment, all of the elements may be selectively coupled to one or more of them. In addition, although all of the components may be implemented as one independent hardware, some or all of the components may be selectively combined to perform a part or all of the functions in one or a plurality of hardware. As shown in FIG. The codes and code segments constituting the computer program may be easily deduced by those skilled in the art. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, readable and executed by a computer, thereby realizing embodiments. As the storage medium of the computer program, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, a carrier wave medium, or the like may be included.

In the description of the embodiment, in the case of being described as being formed on the "upper or lower", "before" or "after" of each component, (Lower) "and" front or rear "encompass both that the two components are in direct contact with each other or that one or more other components are disposed between the two components.

It is also to be understood that the terms such as " comprises, "" comprising," or "having ", as used herein, mean that a component can be implanted unless specifically stated to the contrary. But should be construed as including other elements. All terms including technical or scientific terms have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments belong, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as predefined terms, are to be interpreted as being consistent with the contextual meanings of the related art, and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal, unless explicitly defined in the examples.

In describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, It should be understood that an element may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected."

In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

In the description of the embodiments, an apparatus for transmitting wireless power on a wireless power charging system includes a wireless power transmitter, a wireless power transmitter, a wireless power transmitter, a transmitter, a transmitter, a transmitter, a transmitter, , A wireless power transmitter, and a wireless charging device. For the sake of convenience, a wireless power receiving device, a wireless power receiving device, a wireless power receiving device, a wireless power receiving device, a receiving terminal, a receiving side, a receiving device, a receiver Terminals and the like can be used in combination.

The wireless charging device according to the embodiment may be configured as a pad type, a cradle type, an access point (AP) type, a small base type, a stand type, a ceiling embedded type, a wall type, Power may be transmitted to the device.

As an example, a wireless power transmitter can be used not only on a desk or on a table, but also developed for automobiles and used in a vehicle. A wireless power transmitter installed in a vehicle can be provided in a form of a stand that can be easily and stably fixed and mounted.

A mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), a navigation device, an MP3 player, (Hereinafter referred to as a " device ") capable of charging a battery by mounting a wireless power receiving means according to an embodiment, but not limited thereto, may be used for a small electronic device such as a toothbrush, an electronic tag, a lighting device, Quot;), and the term terminal or device may be used in combination. A wireless power receiver according to another embodiment may also be mounted on a vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, an air drone or the like.

A wireless power receiver according to an embodiment may include at least one wireless power transmission scheme and may receive wireless power from two or more wireless power transmitters at the same time. Here, the wireless power transmission scheme may include at least one of the electromagnetic induction scheme, the electromagnetic resonance scheme, and the RF wireless power transmission scheme. Generally, a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver that constitute a wireless power system can exchange control signals or information through in-band communication or Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication. Here, the in-band communication and the BLE communication can be performed by a pulse width modulation method, a frequency modulation method, a phase modulation method, an amplitude modulation method, an amplitude and phase modulation method, and the like. For example, the wireless power receiver can transmit various control signals and information to the wireless power transmitter by generating a feedback signal by switching on / off the current induced through the reception coil in a predetermined pattern. The information transmitted by the wireless power receiver may include various status information including received power intensity information. At this time, the wireless power transmitter can calculate the charging efficiency or the power transmission efficiency based on the received power intensity information.

1 is a block diagram for explaining a wireless charging system according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a wireless charging system (wireless charger) mainly includes a wireless power transmission terminal 10 for wirelessly transmitting power, a wireless power receiving terminal 20 for receiving the transmitted power, (30).

For example, the wireless power transmitting terminal 10 and the wireless power receiving terminal 20 can perform in-band communication in which information is exchanged using the same frequency band as that used for wireless power transmission. In another example, the wireless power transmitting terminal 10 and the wireless power receiving terminal 20 perform out-of-band communication in which information is exchanged using a different frequency band different from the operating frequency used for wireless power transmission .

For example, information exchanged between the wireless power transmitting terminal 10 and the wireless power receiving terminal 20 may include control information as well as status information of each other. Here, the status information and the control information exchanged between the transmitting and receiving end will become more apparent through the description of the embodiments to be described later.

The in-band communication and the out-of-band communication may provide bidirectional communication, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the in-band communication and the out-of-band communication may be provided.

For example, the unidirectional communication may be that the wireless power receiving terminal 20 transmits information only to the wireless power transmitting terminal 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the wireless power transmitting terminal 10 may transmit information Lt; / RTI >

In the half duplex communication mode, bidirectional communication is possible between the wireless power receiving terminal 20 and the wireless power transmitting terminal 10, but information can be transmitted only by any one device at any time.

The wireless power receiving terminal 20 according to the embodiment may acquire various status information of the electronic device 30. [ For example, the status information of the electronic device 30 may include current power usage information, information for identifying a running application, CPU usage information, battery charge status information, battery output voltage / current information, And is information obtainable from the electronic device 30 and available for wireless power control.

2 is a state transition diagram for explaining a wireless power transmission procedure.

Referring to FIG. 2, power transmission from a transmitter to a receiver according to a wireless power transmission procedure is largely divided into a selection phase 210, a ping phase 220, an Identification and Configuration Phase 230 A Negotiation Phase 240, a Calibration Phase 250, a Power Transfer Phase 260, and a Renegotiation Phase 270. As shown in FIG.

The selection step 210 includes the steps of transitioning, e.g., S202, S204, S208, S210, S212, when a specific error or a specific event is detected while initiating a power transmission or maintaining a power transmission . Here, the specific error and the specific event will become clear through the following description. Also, in a selection step 210, the transmitter may monitor whether an object is present on the interface surface. If the transmitter detects that an object is placed on the interface surface, it can transition to the ping step 220. [ In the selection step 210, the transmitter transmits an analog ping signal of a very short pulse and, based on the current change of the transmission coil or the primary coil, It is possible to detect whether or not there is an error.

If an object is sensed in the selection step 210, the wireless power transmitter may measure the quality factor of one end and / or the other end of the wireless power resonant circuit, e.g., the transmit coil and / or the resonant capacitor for wireless power transmission .

A wireless power transmitter may measure the peak frequency of a wireless power resonant circuit (e.g., a power transfer coil and / or a resonant capacitor).

The quality factor and / or peak frequency may be used in future negotiation step 240 to determine whether a foreign object is present.

In step 220, the transmitter wakes up the receiver and transmits a digital ping to identify whether the sensed object is a wireless power receiver (S201). If the transmitter does not receive a response signal to the digital ping (e. G., A signal strength packet) from the receiver in step 220, then the transmitter may transition back to step 210 again. Also, in step 220, the transmitter may transition to a selection step 210 when receiving a signal indicating completion of power transmission from the receiver, i.e., a charging completion packet (S202).

Once the ping step 220 is complete, the transmitter may transition to an identification and configuration step 230 for identifying the receiver and collecting receiver configuration and status information (S203).

In the identifying and configuring step 230, the transmitter determines whether a packet is received or unexpected, a desired packet is not received for a predefined period of time (time out), a packet transmission error (transmission error) (No power transfer contract), the process can be shifted to the selection step 210 (S204).

The transmitter may determine whether an entry to the negotiation step 240 is required based on the negotiation field value of the configuration packet received in the identification and configuration step 230. [

As a result of checking, if a negotiation is required, the sender can enter the negotiation step 240 (S205). In the negotiation step 240, the transmitter may perform a predetermined foreign matter detection procedure.

On the other hand, if it is determined that negotiation is not required, the transmitter may directly enter the power transmission step 260 (S206).

At negotiation step 340, the sender may receive a Foreign Object Detection (FOD) status packet including a reference quality factor value. Or a FOD state packet including a reference peak frequency value. Or receive a status packet including a reference quality factor value and a reference peak frequency value. At this time, the transmitter can determine a critical quality factor value for FO detection based on the reference quality factor value. The transmitter can determine the critical peak frequency value for FO detection based on the reference peak frequency value.

The transmitter can detect whether there is an FO in the fill area using the threshold quality factor value for the determined FO detection and the currently measured quality factor value - for example, the quality factor value measured before the ping step, The power transmission can be controlled according to the FO detection result. As an example, if FO is detected, power transmission may be interrupted, but is not limited to this.

The transmitter can detect whether there is a FO in the fill area using the threshold peak frequency value for the determined FO detection and the currently measured peak frequency value - e.g., the peak frequency value measured before the ping step, The power transmission can be controlled according to the FO detection result. As an example, if FO is detected, power transmission may be interrupted, but is not limited to this.

If FO is detected, the transmitter may return to the selection step 210 (S208). On the other hand, if no FO is detected, the transmitter may enter the power transfer step 260 via the correction step 250 (S207 and S209). In detail, if the FO is not detected, the transmitter receives the strength of the power received at the receiving end in the correction step 250 and compares the received power with the transmitted power at the transmitting end to measure the power loss at the receiving end and the transmitting end can do. That is, the transmitter can predict the power loss based on the difference between the transmission power of the transmitter and the reception power of the receiver in the correction step 250. [ A transmitter according to an embodiment may compensate the power loss threshold for FOD detection by reflecting the predicted power loss. That is, since the FO is absent in the correction step, the coupling state of the receiver and the power loss due to the friendly metal component of the receiver are determined, and when an additional power loss other than the predetermined power loss occurs, .

In a power transfer phase 260, the sender may receive an unexpected packet, a desired packet is not received for a predefined time (time out), a violation of a predetermined power transmission contract occurs transfer contract violation, and if the charging is completed, the process may proceed to the selection step 210 (S210).

In addition, in the power transfer step 260, if the transmitter needs to reconfigure the power transfer contract according to changes in the transmitter state or the like, it may transition to the renegotiation step 270 (S211). At this time, if the renegotiation is normally completed, the transmitter may return to the power transmission step 260 (S213).

The power transmission contract may be set based on the status and characteristic information of the transmitter and the receiver. For example, the transmitter status information may include information on the maximum amount of transmittable power, information on the maximum number of receivable receivers, and the receiver status information may include information on the requested power and the like.

If the renegotiation is not normally completed, the transmitter stops power transmission to the receiver and may transition to the selection step 210 (S212).

3 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a wireless power transmitter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3, the wireless power transmitter 300 includes a power unit 360, a DC-DC converter 310, an inverter 320, a resonant circuit 330, a sensing unit 350, A communication unit 340, an alarm unit 370, and a control unit 380.

The resonance circuit 330 includes a resonance capacitor 331 and an inductor (or transmission coil) 332. The communication section 340 includes at least one of a demodulation section 341 and a modulation section 342, . The transmitting coil can generate a magnetic flux from the applied AC power.

The power supply unit 360 may receive DC power from an external power supply terminal or a battery and transmit the DC power to the DC-DC converter 310. Here, the power supply unit 360 may be a vehicle battery included in the vehicle. The vehicle may include, but is not limited to, an internal combustion engine, an electric vehicle, and a hybrid vehicle.

In another embodiment, the battery may be configured to be mounted and chargeable within the wireless power transmitter 300, but this is merely an example and may be implemented in a wireless power transmitter 300 in the form of a secondary battery or an external battery. The power supply unit 360 may be connected through a predetermined cable.

The DC-DC converter 310 may convert the DC power input from the power supply unit 360 into DC power having a specific intensity under the control of the controller 380. For example, the DC-DC converter 310 may be configured as a variable voltage generator capable of controlling the intensity of a voltage, but is not limited thereto.

The inverter 320 can convert the converted DC power into AC power.

The inverter 320 may convert a DC power signal input through a plurality of switch controls into an AC power signal and output the AC power signal.

For example, the inverter 320 may include a full bridge circuit, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may include a half bridge.

In other words, the inverter 320 may be configured to include both a half bridge circuit and a full bridge circuit. In this case, the controller 380 may control whether the inverter 320 operates as a half bridge or a full bridge, As shown in FIG.

The wireless power transmitter according to one embodiment may adaptively control the bridge mode of the inverter 320 according to the strength of the power required by the wireless power receiver.

Here, the bridge mode includes a half bridge mode and a full bridge mode. In one example, if the wireless power receiver requires a low power of 5 W, the control unit 380 may control the inverter 320 to operate in the half bridge mode.

On the other hand, if the wireless power receiver requires 15 W of power, the controller 380 can control to operate in the full bridge mode. In another example, the wireless power transmitter may adaptively determine the bridge mode according to the sensed temperature and drive the inverter 320 according to the determined bridge mode.

For example, when the temperature of the wireless power transmission device during the transmission of wireless power through the half-bridge mode exceeds a predetermined reference value, the controller 380 may disable the half-bridge mode and control the full-bridge mode to be activated. That is, the wireless power transmission apparatus increases the voltage through the full bridge circuit and decreases the intensity of the current flowing through the resonance circuit 330 for power transmission of the same intensity, thereby reducing the internal temperature of the wireless power transmission apparatus to a predetermined reference value or less .

Generally, the amount of heat generated in the electronic component mounted on the electronic device may be more sensitive to the intensity of the current than the voltage applied to the electronic component.

In addition, inverter 320 may convert DC power to AC power as well as change the strength of AC power.

For example, the inverter 320 may adjust the frequency of a reference alternating current signal used to generate alternating-current power under the control of the controller 380 to control the intensity of the alternating-current power. For this purpose, the inverter 320 may comprise a frequency oscillator that generates a reference AC signal having a particular frequency, but this is only one embodiment, and another example is that the frequency oscillator is separate from the inverter 320 And may be mounted on one side of the wireless power transmitter 300.

In another example, the wireless power transmitter 300 may further include a gate driver (not shown) for controlling a switch provided in the inverter 320. [ In this case, the gate driver can receive at least one pulse width modulated signal from the control unit 380 and control the switch of the inverter 320 according to the received pulse width modulated signal. The controller 880 can control the intensity of the output power of the inverter 320 by controlling the duty cycle of the pulse width modulation signal, that is, the duty ratio - and the phase. The control unit 360 may adaptively control the duty cycle and phase of the pulse width modulation signal based on the feedback signal received from the wireless power receiving apparatus.

The sensing unit 350 may measure the voltage / current of the DC-converted power and provide the measured voltage / current to the controller 380. Also, the sensing unit 350 may measure the internal temperature of the wireless power transmitter 300 or the inside of the charging interface (surface) to determine whether overheating occurs, and provide the measurement result to the controller 380. For example, the controller 380 may block the power supply from the power supply unit 380 adaptively based on the voltage / current value or the internal temperature value measured by the sensing unit 350. To this end, a power cut-off circuit may be further provided at one side of the DC-DC converter 310 to cut off power supplied from the power supply 360.

The control unit 380 can receive the power reception status information and / or the power control signal of the wireless power receiver through the communication unit 340 and can control the amplification rate based on the received power reception status information and / or the power control signal Can be adjusted dynamically. For example, the power reception status information may include, but is not limited to, the intensity information of the rectifier output voltage, the intensity information of the current applied to the reception coil, and the like. The power control signal may include a signal for requesting power increase, a signal for requesting power reduction, and the like. Also, the controller 380 can control to generate the analog ping signal and the digital ping signal. The control unit 380 can control the supply of the rail voltage between the digital finger signal and the analog signal between the analog finger signals.

The modulator 342 may modulate the control signal generated by the controller 380 and transmit the modulated control signal to the resonance coil 330. Here, the modulation scheme for modulating the control signal includes a frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation scheme, a Manchester coding modulation scheme, a phase shift keying (PSK) modulation scheme, a pulse width modulation scheme, A differential bi-phase modulation method, and the like.

The demodulator 341 can demodulate the detected signal and transmit the demodulated signal to the controller 380 when a signal received through the transmission coil is detected. For example, the demodulated signal may include a signal strength indicator, an error correction (EC) indicator for power control during wireless power transmission, an end of charge indicator (EOC), and an overvoltage / overcurrent / However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various status information for identifying the status of the wireless power receiver may be included. As another example, the demodulated signal may include FOD state information including a value of at least one of a reference quality factor value and a reference frequency value.

In one example, the wireless power transmitter 300 may obtain the signal strength indicator via in-band communication that uses the same frequency used for wireless power transmission to communicate with the wireless power receiver.

In the description of FIG. 3, the wireless power transmitter 300 and the wireless power receiver perform in-band communication. However, the wireless power transmitter 300 is only one embodiment, Directional communication through different frequency bands. For example, the near-end bi-directional communication may be any one of low-power Bluetooth communication, RFID communication, UWB communication, and Zigbee communication.

4 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a wireless power receiver interworking with the wireless power transmitter according to FIG.

4, the wireless power receiver 400 includes a receiving coil 410, a rectifier 420, a DC / DC converter 430, a load 440, a sensing unit 450, 460, and a main control unit 470. Here, the communication unit 460 may include at least one of a demodulation unit 461 and a modulation unit 462.

Although the wireless power receiver 400 shown in the example of FIG. 4 is shown as being capable of exchanging information with a wireless power transmitter through in-band communication, this is only one embodiment, and in another embodiment The communication unit 460 may provide short-range bidirectional communication through a frequency band different from the frequency band used for wireless power signal transmission.

The AC power received through the receiving coil 410 may be transmitted to the rectifying unit 420. The rectifier 420 may convert the AC power to DC power and transmit it to the DC / DC converter 430. The DC / DC converter 430 may convert the intensity of the rectifier output DC power to a specific intensity required by the load 440 and then forward it to the load 440. The receiving coil 410 may also include a plurality of receiving coils (not shown), i.e., first to n-th receiving coils. The frequency of the AC power transmitted to each of the reception coils (not shown) according to an embodiment may be different from each other, and another embodiment may include a predetermined frequency controller having a function of adjusting LC resonance characteristics for different reception coils The resonance frequencies of the respective reception coils can be set differently.

The sensing unit 450 may measure the intensity of the DC power output from the rectifier 420 and may provide the measured DC power to the main control unit 470. For example, the sensing unit 450 may measure the intensity of the current applied to the reception coil 410 according to the wireless power reception, and may transmit the measurement result to the main control unit 470. As another example, the sensing unit 450 may measure the internal temperature of the wireless power receiver 400 and provide the measured temperature value to the main control unit 470.

For example, the main control unit 470 may compare the measured rectifier output DC power with a predetermined reference value to determine whether an overvoltage is generated. As a result of the determination, if an overvoltage is generated, a predetermined packet indicating that an overvoltage has occurred can be generated and transmitted to the modulator 462. Here, the signal modulated by the modulator 462 may be transmitted to the wireless power transmitter through the receiving coil 410 or a separate coil (not shown). The main control unit 470 can determine that the detection signal has been received when the intensity of the rectifier output DC power is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value and when the signal strength indicator corresponding to the detection signal is received by the modulation unit 462 To be transmitted to the wireless power transmitter. The demodulation unit 461 demodulates the AC power signal between the reception coil 410 and the rectifier 420 or the DC power signal output from the rectifier 420 to identify whether or not the detection signal is received, (470). ≪ / RTI > At this time, the main control unit 470 may control the signal intensity indicator corresponding to the detection signal to be transmitted through the modulation unit 462. [

Also, the main control unit 470 may control the FOD state packet including at least one of the previously stored reference quality factor and the reference frequency value to be transmitted to the wireless power transmitter through the modulator 462.

On the other hand, it is possible to reduce the unnecessary consumption current generated in the operation period that is not directly related to the wireless charging operation, thereby improving the life of the battery. For example, when generating the analog and digital signals, a rail voltage of about 6V is output. At this time, a current of several tens of mA to several hundreds mA is consumed in the DC-DC converter in the section where the analog and digital signals are not operated.

Therefore, a method of reducing the consumed current in an interval in which the analog and digital signals are not generated will be described below.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a wireless charging method according to the first embodiment, FIG. 6 is a graph showing voltage and current waveforms generated during operation of an analog and digital signals, FIG. And FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a wireless power transmitter according to the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, the wireless charging method according to the first embodiment may include a step S301 of cutting off the rail current after the analog fingering signal is turned off.

The wireless power transmitter 300 may periodically generate analog and digital digital signals. The analog fingering signal may be generated in a period of 400 ms to 420 ms. The digital ping may be generated in the Bms period, or may be generated in Xma when an object is detected by the analog ping signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, power (or rail current) input to the inverter 320 in the idle period between the periodically generated analog ping and / or digital ping signal may be blocked.

The idle period may correspond to an interval in which the inverter 320 outputs no AC voltage / current. Also, the input power (or the rail current) of the inverter 320 may be cut off in consideration of the warm-up period for generating the voltage for the inverter 320 to operate normally. For example, power (or current) is applied to the inverter 320 before the generation of the ping signal, so that no problem occurs in outputting the next ping signal.

Further, after the analog ping signal is generated, the output voltage of the inverter 320 can be maintained at a predetermined time (for example, Zma). And may be a time for the control unit 380 to determine whether the object is in the active area (charge interface) using the analog ping signal.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the analog ping signal P1 serves to sense an object. The analog ping signal P1 can be transmitted in a very short pulse. The analog ping signal P1 may be generated at predetermined intervals. The analog ping signal P1 may be generated in a period of 400 ms to 420 ms, but is not limited thereto.

The digital ping signal P2 activates the receiver when an object is sensed and serves to identify whether the sensed object is a wireless power receiver. If it is determined that the sensed object is not a wireless power receiver, the analog ping signal P1 may be periodically transmitted again.

The digital ping signal P2 may be generated according to the number of coils. The digital ping signal P2 may be generated as three signals corresponding to the number of coils, but is not limited thereto. For example, the structure of this embodiment can be applied to a coil charger having one coil.

The rail current I_rail can be cut off between the analog finger signals P1 to prevent unnecessary standby current consumption. The rail current I_rail can be controlled by controlling the rail voltage V_rail. For example, when the analog ping signal P1 is off, the controller 380 can control the rail voltage V_rail to be lowered to 0V. Here, the interval T1 in which the rail current I_rail is blocked may include 300 ms to 350 ms.

The digital ping signal P2 may be generated to identify if the object sensed by the transmitter is a wireless power receiver. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the time T4 at which the digital ping signal P2 can be generated after the analog ping signal P1 is turned off. For example, if the rail current I_rail is cut off before the object determination time, a digital ping signal P2 may not be generated even though an object exists in the receiver.

Accordingly, the rail current I_rail can be cut off after a certain period of time after the analog ping signal P1 is turned off in consideration of the time T4 at which the digital ping P1 signal can be generated. Here, the interval between the time when the analog ping signal P1 is turned off and the time when the rail current I_rail starts to be cut off can be referred to as a first stabilization period T2. The time for interrupting the rail current I_rail after a predetermined time after the analog ping signal P1 is turned off is longer than the time T4 at which the digital ping P1 signal can be generated after the analog ping signal P1 is turned off It can be big.

The first stabilization period T2 may include, but is not limited to, about 30 ms to 32 ms. Since the time T4 at which the digital ping signal P2 can be generated after the analog ping signal P1 is turned off may be 29 ms, the first stabilization period T2 is set to the digital A generation time (T4) of the ping signal (P2), and a margin period of about 3 ms. The margin period may be in the range of 10% of the digital finger signal generation time T4 after the analog finger signal is turned off.

As shown in FIG. 8, the DC-DC converter 310 may further include a switch SW capable of receiving an enable / enable signal. The control unit 380 controls the switch SW so as to control supply and interruption of the rail voltage V_rail input to the inverter 320. [ Here, the switch SW may be disposed inside the DC-DC converter 310.

The control unit 380 can provide a signal to turn off the switch SW after a predetermined time, for example, 30 ms to 32 ms, which is the first stabilization time, when the analog ping signal P1 is turned off. When the switch SW is turned off, the rail voltage V_rail is lowered to 0 V so that the rail current I_rail can be cut off. Here, while the rail voltage V_rail is lowered to OV by the control unit 380, the rail voltage V_rail gradually decreases because a predetermined voltage remains in the internal components of the DC-DC converter 310.

Returning to FIG. 5, the wireless charging method according to the first embodiment may perform the step of supplying the rail current after a predetermined time after completing the step of cutting off the rail current after the analogue finger signal is turned off.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the step S302 of supplying the rail current may perform the step S302 of raising the rail voltage V_rail to, for example, 6 V to supply the rail current. The rail current I_rail may be supplied after 300 ms to 350 ms after the rail current I_rail is cut off.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the switch SW is turned on by the control unit 380, the rail voltage V_rail rises to 6V. At this time, the rail current I_rail rises while the rail voltage V_rail rises.

Returning to FIG. 5, after step S302 in which the rail current is supplied, step S303 of generating an analog ping signal after the second stabilization period may be performed.

6 and 7, the analog ping signal P1 must rise to a current value such that the rail current I_rail value can produce the analog ping signal P1.

A period in which the rail current I_rail is raised to a voltage capable of generating the analog ping signal P1 may be referred to as a second stabilization period T3. The second stabilization period may further include a time for controlling the voltage supplied by the controller 380. The second stabilization period T3 may include 5 ms to 7 ms. Therefore, the second stabilization period T3 can have a sufficient time to control the current supply.

As shown in Fig. 8, the control unit 380 may provide a signal to turn on the switch SW. This causes the rail voltage V_rail to rise from 0V to 6V. At this time, the rail current I_rail is also increased. The control unit 380 can provide a signal to generate the analog ping signal P1 when the current value rises to such a value as to generate the analog ping signal P1.

Conventionally, the rail current is continuously supplied between the analog finger signals even though the analog finger signal is periodically generated. This caused unnecessary quiescent current in the circuit.

On the other hand, in the embodiment, it is possible to completely eliminate the standby current generated during the analog ping operation by configuring the rail current to be interrupted for a predetermined time between analog ping signals.

The wireless charging method according to the embodiment has an effect of reducing the consumed current by 10% or more as compared with the conventional wireless charging method.

In the above description, the rail current is controlled to be interposed between the analog input signals. As a result, unnecessary consumption current between the analogue zip signals is reduced. However, because the generation period between the analog pings is short, repetitive control operations for the analog ping are increased, so that degradation of the device performance and control error may occur. Therefore, an operation for minimizing control operation while reducing unnecessary current consumption between analogue finger signals will be described below.

9 is a graph showing current and current waveforms according to the wireless charging method according to the second embodiment.

The method of wireless charging according to the second embodiment includes the steps of interrupting the rail current after a first stabilization time after the analogue finger signal is turned off, supplying the rail current after the predetermined time, Generating a signal, and the step of breaking the rail current between the analogue zip signals may be operated in two cycles.

The analog ping signal P1 serves to sense an object. The analog ping signal P1 can be transmitted in a very short pulse. The analog ping signal P1 may be generated at predetermined intervals. The analog ping signal P1 may be generated at a cycle of 400 ms to 420 ms, but is not limited thereto.

The digital ping signal P2 activates the receiver when an object is sensed and serves to identify whether the sensed object is a wireless power receiver. The digital ping signal P2 may be generated according to the number of coils. The digital ping signal P2 may be generated as three signals corresponding to the number of coils, but is not limited thereto. If it is determined that the sensed object is not a wireless power receiver, the analog ping signal P1 may be periodically transmitted again.

If the rail voltage V_rail is turned off before the object determining time, a digital signal may not be generated even though an object actually exists. In order to prevent this, the first stabilization period T2 can be set.

The first stabilization period T2 may include a period after the analog ping signal P1 is turned off and a period where the rail current I_rail starts to be blocked.

The first stabilization period T2 may include, but is not limited to, about 30 ms to 32 ms. The time T4 at which the digital ping P1 signal can be generated after the analog ping signal P1 is turned off may be 29 ms but the object may be detected by the signal delay or noise after the generation of the analog ping signal P1 It can take more time. To this end, the first stabilization period T2 may include a margin period ranging from 10% of the time during which the digital ping signal P2 can be generated after the analog ping signal P1 is turned off. The margin period may be about 3 ms, but is not limited thereto.

The second stabilization period T3 may include a period in which the rail current I_rail rises to a voltage capable of generating the analog ping signal P1.

The second stabilization period T3 may further include a time for controlling the current supply by the control unit 380. [ The second stabilization period T3 may include 5 ms to 7 ms. The second stabilization period may take more time to detect an object due to a signal delay or noise. In this case, by further including the margin section, it is possible to secure a sufficient time for detecting the object. The margin period may include 1 ms to 2 ms.

When the first analogue signal P11 is off, the rail current I_rail can be cut off after the first stabilization period T2. Thereafter, the rail current I_rail can be supplied after a predetermined time. The rail current I_rail may be supplied before the second stabilization period T3 before the second analogue ping signal P12 is generated.

Then, a control operation for interrupting the rail current I_rail may not be performed between the second analog ping signal P12 and the third analog ping signal P13. A standby current may be generated between the second analogue ping signal P12 and the third analogue ping signal P13.

When the third analogue signal P13 is off, the rail current I_rail can be cut off after the first stabilization period T2. Thereafter, the rail current I_rail can be supplied after a predetermined time. The rail current V_rail can be supplied before the second stabilization period T3 before the fourth analogue ping signal P14 is generated.

The rail current I_rail can be controlled by controlling the rail voltage V_rail. The control unit 380 can turn on the switch SW to supply the rail voltage. The control unit 380 can turn off the switch SW to lower the rail voltage V_rail to 0V.

In the above description, the step of interrupting the rail current between the analog finger signals is configured to operate in units of two periods, thereby reducing the control operation and the operation error. Of course, it is also possible to control to operate more than two periods between analogue zing signals.

In the above description, the current consumption in the circuit is reduced by interrupting the rail current between the analogue finger signals. Hereinafter, the operation of reducing the current consumption generated between the analogue and digital digital signals will be described.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a wireless charging method according to the third embodiment, FIG. 11 is a graph showing voltage and current waveforms generated during operation of the analog and digital signals, FIG. Fig.

Referring to FIG. 10, the wireless charging method according to the second embodiment may include a step S401 of cutting off a rail voltage after a first stabilization time after a digital finger signal is turned off.

11 and 12, the analog ping signal P1 serves to sense an object. The analog ping signal P1 can be transmitted in a very short pulse. The analog ping signal P1 may be generated at predetermined intervals. The analog ping signal P1 may be generated in a period of 400 ms to 420 ms, but is not limited thereto.

The digital ping signal P2 activates the receiver when an object is sensed and serves to identify whether the sensed object is a wireless power receiver. The digital ping signal P2 may be generated according to the number of coils. The digital ping signal P2 may be generated as three signals corresponding to the number of coils, but is not limited thereto. If it is determined that the sensed object is not a wireless power receiver, the analog ping signal P1 may be periodically transmitted again.

The rail current I_rail can be interposed between the digital and analog ping signals P2 and P1. The rail current I_rail can be controlled by controlling the rail voltage V_rail. For example, when the digital ping signal P2 is turned off, the rail voltage V_rail is lowered to 0 V to shut off the rail current I_rail and the rail voltage V_rail is raised before the next analog ping signal P1 is generated, The current I_rail can be supplied. The rail current I_rail between the digital fingering signal P2 and the analog finging signal P1 because the section between the digital fingers P2 and P1 is shorter than the interval between the analog fingers P1, May be shorter than the time to block the rail current between the analog finger signals P1.

A first stabilization period T22 may be provided between the periods in which the rail current I_rail is blocked after the digital ping signal P2 is turned off. The first stabilization period T22 may include a time at which the control unit provides an OFF signal to the switch to control the rail voltage V_rail. In the first stabilization period T22, the rail current I_rail is still generated .

Referring to FIG. 10, the wireless charging method according to the second embodiment performs step S402 of supplying a rail current after a predetermined time after the step S401 of cutting off the rail voltage after the digital fingering signal is turned off can do.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the step of supplying the rail current S401 may perform the step S302 of raising the rail voltage V_rail to, for example, 6 V to supply the rail current. At this time, the rail current I_rail rises to a current value enough to generate the analog ping signal P1 during the raising of the rail voltage V_rail. Here, a period in which the rail current I_rail is raised to a voltage capable of generating the analog ping signal P1 may be referred to as a second stabilization period T33.

Returning to FIG. 10, after step S402 in which the rail voltage is supplied, step S403 may be performed to generate an analog ping signal after the second stabilization period.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the step of generating the analogue zip signal may be generated after the second stabilization period T33 described above. The embodiment provides a method of interrupting the rail current between the digital and analogue zip signals together with a method of interrupting the rail current between analogue zip signals, thereby reducing the quiescent current generated between the digital and analogue zip signals So that the current unnecessarily consumed can be reduced.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

Accordingly, the above description should not be construed in a limiting sense in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A transmitting coil for receiving an alternating current and generating a magnetic flux; An inverter receiving the direct current and generating the alternating current; A DC-DC converter for supplying the DC to the inverter; And And a controller for controlling operations of the DC-DC converter and the inverter to generate a ping signal through the transmission coil, Wherein the controller periodically generates a first ding signal and maintains the dc supply for a first stabilization period from the first ding signal generation, After the first stabilization period, the DC is blocked for a predetermined time, Supply the current after the predetermined time, and generate a second ping signal after a second stabilization period after the predetermined time. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the first and second docking signals comprise an analogue docking signal. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the first finger signal comprises a digital finger signal and the second finger signal comprises an analog finger signal. Periodically generating an analog finger signal to sense an object; Generating a digital zip signal when the object is sensed; And Blocking the rail voltage between the analogue zip signals, The step of breaking the rail voltage between the analogue zip signals comprises: Blocking the rail voltage after the first stabilization period when the analog finger signal is off; Supplying the rail voltage after the predetermined time, And turning on the analog ping signal after the second stabilization period. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the first stabilization period is longer than the second stabilization period, The first stabilization period includes a time for sensing the object after the analog ping signal is turned off and the second stabilization period includes a time for raising the control voltage of the rail voltage and a voltage at which the rail voltage is able to generate the ping signal Lt; / RTI > 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the step of breaking the rail voltage between the analogue zip signals is operated at a period of at least two periods of the analogue zip signals, Blocking the rail voltage between the analogue zip signals comprises 300ms to 350m, Wherein the first stabilization period includes 30 ms to 32 ms, and the second stabilization period includes 5 ms to 7 ms. 5. The method of claim 4, Further comprising the step of breaking the rail voltage between the digital finger signal and the analog finger signal, Wherein the time for blocking the rail voltage between the digital and analog signals is less than the time for blocking the rail voltage between the analog and digital signals. Periodically generating an analog finger signal to sense an object; Generating a digital zip signal when the object is sensed; And And interrupting the rail voltage between the digital and analog signals, Wherein the step of breaking the rail voltage between the digital and analog signals comprises: Blocking the rail voltage after the first stabilization period when the digital finger signal is off; Supplying the rail voltage; And turning on the analog ping signal after the second stabilization period. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the first stabilization period is shorter than the second stabilization period, Wherein the first stabilization period includes a control time of the rail voltage and the second stabilization time includes a control time of the rail voltage and a rise time of the rail voltage to a voltage capable of generating a ding signal. 9. The method of claim 8, And interrupting a rail voltage between the analog finger signals.

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